1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera which digitally records, into an electronic recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, image data of an object obtained by photographing, for example.
2. Related Background Art
Digital cameras can photograph an object in a simple operation similar to that of conventional silver halide cameras, while having a function of converting an image of the object captured by a solid-state imaging device or the like into digital image data and digitally recording these data into a semiconductor memory or the like. Therefore, they have been attracting much attention as a multimedia-aware photographing device applicable to digital electronic devices such as microcomputer.
The digital cameras have excellent functions in that they can provide a variety of forms of utilization to users. For example, they can provide digital image data to various digital electronic devices such that they are repeatedly reproduced and displayed, such that the same image data are copied a number of times, such that the image data are easily edited and processed, and such that unnecessary image are erased while only the necessary image data are stored and managed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital camera which has a high degree of operability, facilitates data management, and is highly reliable in terms of functions.
In order to achieve such an object, the present invention is a digital camera having a main memory for storing image data obtained by photographing and a connector means for attaching a detachable auxiliary memory thereto, wherein further provided is a control means which, upon detection of attachment of the auxiliary memory to the connector means, causes the image data obtained by photographing to be preemptively stored into the auxiliary memory.
Also, the present invention provides a digital camera having a main memory for storing image data obtained by photographing and a connector for attaching a detachable auxiliary memory thereto, wherein further provided are a control means which causes the image data in the main memory to be transferred and copied to the auxiliary memory according to designation of a copy mode, and a display means which, as designated by the control means, sequentially displays the number of uncopied image data remaining in the main memory and the number of image data which can be copied to the auxiliary memory.
Preferably, while causing the image data in the main memory to be transferred and copied to the auxiliary memory, the control means adds management data indicating fact of copying to each image data.
Preferably, the control means adds, to each image data which is to be copied, a flag data indicating that copying of each data is in progress, and adds, upon completion of copying of each image data, a flag data indicating the completion of copying to each image data which is to be copied.
Preferably, the control means sequentially detects the free capacity of the auxiliary memory; upon detection of shortage of the free capacity in the auxiliary memory before the whole image data in the main memory is completely transferred and copied, temporarily stops transferring and copying operations; and, after detecting that a new auxiliary memory is attached to the connector means, causes the remaining image data to be transferred and copied to the new auxiliary memory.
Preferably, the control means sequentially monitors whether the auxiliary memory is attached to or detached from the connector means and, upon detection of attachment or detachment of the auxiliary memory during transfer of the image data to the main memory or auxiliary memory in a photographing or copying mode, forcibly initializes the internal camera system.
The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.